A Liturgical Resource: Epiphany

Notes from Ordering Our Days in His Peace:  An Introduction to the Christian Church Year
by H. R. Curtis.
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Once again:  the Church year has three major seasons:  Christmas, Easter and the Time of the Church (also known as Ordinary Time).  Each season of the year focuses on a single part of the salvation story.  Christmas shares with us the story of how God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to be born and to live our humanity (only perfectly, of course).  Christmas ends with the onset of Easter, the season that shares the story of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead.  The Time of the Church shares the tale of the Holy Spirit and His work among us in and through Word and Sacrament.  The Church employs various liturgical tools to help in the telling of this story of God and His love for us.

THE TIME OF CHRISTMAS --- The Epiphany of Our Lord

Celebrated on January 6th, Epiphany is both a feast day and a season.  It is the revealing of Christ to the world.  This is the day when the Magi, wise men who were Gentiles, came to worship the Lord Jesus, showing that, now, everyone on earth had access to God through the new temple, Christ.  Gentiles (non-Israelites) who, during the time of the Old Testament, had no access to the temple to worship God because they were not considered His children, would now be blessed, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham:

...and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. --- Genesis 12:3 (ESV)

As a season, Epiphany is also that time of the Church year when Christ is revealed more and more as the Son of God:  at His Baptism, Jesus is identified as the Christ and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him;  He overcomes the temptations of Satan before the start of active ministry;  and He performs miracles that increasingly demonstrate His power over nature, demons, etc.  Whether feast day or season, Epiphany is a time of revealing.

Liturgical colors during Epiphany:  white and green

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the color of the altar vestments is white, again representing purity, light, divinity, eternity, and joy.  It is the color that points to Christ.  It is the color that is used for the Church feast days of Jesus.

The color for the season of Epiphany, the Sundays following January 6th, is green because they are actually a small step into Ordinary Time, that part of the Church year containing no special observances like we have during Advent and Christmas.  During the season of Epiphany, we focus on how Christ grew "in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."  The Gospel readings teach about Jesus' miracles, especially those that involve healing to illustrate how Christ came to make all things new.  Green is a color that is associated with growth and newness of life.

Liturgical music during Epiphany:  nothing of note

Special observances during Epiphany:  Baptism of Our Lord and the Presentation of the Lord

On the first Sunday after Epiphany, we recall the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.  As Jesus was without sin, why in the world was this necessary?  It is part and parcel of the perfect Christ experiencing our humanity.  To quote from the book (page 18):

Jesus is baptized into our sins so that our Baptism might be into His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.

Forty days after the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas Day), some Lutherans observe the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord.  These days are actually recognized together, and both are considered feast days of Jesus, therefore their liturgical color is white.  So, after recognizing the season of Epiphany as a small step into Ordinary Time with a change to the color green, this day is actually a small step back into the Time of Christmas whose liturgical color is white.  Kind of odd, I admit, but the liturgical calendar should be thought of as a guideline, not a set of hard-and-fast rules.

Note:  in my experience, Lutherans do not actively observe either the Purification of Mary or the Presentation of the Lord.

Worship events during Epiphany:  evening worship on the Feast of the Epiphany

A Liturgical Resource: The Nativity of Our Lord

Notes from Ordering Our Days in His Peace:  An Introduction to the Christian Church Year
by H. R. Curtis.
--------------------
To review:  the Church year has three major seasons:  Christmas, Easter, and the Time of the Church (also known as Ordinary Time).  Each season of the year focuses on a single part of the salvation story.  Christmas shares with us the story of how God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to be born and to live our humanity (only perfectly, of course).  Christmas ends with the onset of Easter, the season that shares the story of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead.  The Time of the Church shares the tale of the Holy Spirit and His work among us in and through Word and Sacrament.  The Church employs various liturgical tools to help in the telling of this story of God and His love for us.

THE TIME OF CHRISTMAS --- The Nativity of Our Lord

The season of hope, Advent, ends with the fulfillment of that hope, the birth of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.  Note that God did not send a prophet or an angel on Christmas morning to redeem us from our sins.  No, He sent His only Son.  So, on this day, we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity.

Liturgical colors during The Nativity of Our Lord:  white

The color of purity, light, divinity, eternity, and joy.

Liturgical music during The Nativity of Our Lord:  the "Gloria in Excelsis" is reinstated

Now that Jesus has returned, so has our hymn of praise.  So, with the angels, we sing:

Glory be to God on high;  and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee,
   we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly king, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
   that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only art only;  thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,
   art most high in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Special observances during The Nativity of Our Lord:  the Twelve Days of Christmas

Because the birth of Christ, Our Savior and King, is too great a celebration for just one day, the Church spreads it out over twelve days beginning on December 25 and ending on January 5.  Each day has a unique focus:*

December 25:  Feast of the Nativity
December 26:  St. Stephen Day
December 27:  St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist
December 28:  Holy Innocents and Martyrs Day
December 29:  St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury
December 30:  Feast of the Holy Family
December 31:  Feast of Saint Sylvester
January 1:  Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
January 2:  Octave Day of St. Stephen
January 3:  Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
January 4:  Octave Day of Holy Innocents
January 5:  Twelfth Night

In my experience, Lutherans do not actively observe each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  They focus on the days pertaining to Christ and the Holy Family, as opposed to the days pertaining to martyrs of the faith (with the exception of Holy Innocents Day).

*Information pertaining to the specific emphases of each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas was taken from Wikipedia, not from Ordering Our Days in His Peace.

Worship events during The Nativity of Our Lord:  midnight and morning services

Since the announcement of the birth of Christ is recorded in Scripture as coming first to the shepherds as they watched their flocks by night, many Lutheran churches celebrate the arrival of Christ with a Divine Worship Service at midnight;  others hold service on Christmas morning.  Some churches do both.

A Liturgical Resource: Advent

Notes from Ordering Our Days in His Peace:  An Introduction to the Christian Church Year
by H. R. Curtis
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It is universally accepted amongst Christians that God created the universe, and that the universe he created includes time.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years... --- Genesis 1:14

Time helps us make sense of our lives:  minutes and hours order our days, weeks and months order our years, and years mark the passage of a lifetime.  We are, in fact, born into a time-based existence, born one day and living until we die.

Time helps us make sense of God's story, too.  God created a home for humanity, set them on a course of history and broke into that history in the person of Jesus Christ, that part of the Godhead who will return one day to complete the story at the end of time.  Relating this story, the story of Christ and what He did for humanity, is the purpose of the Church.  Telling and re-telling the story of salvation in a time-based manner, helps it make better sense.  A liturgical calendar keeps the story on track for us chronologically.

The Church year has three major seasons:  Christmas, Easter, and the Time of the Church (also known as Ordinary Time).  Each section of the year focuses on a single part of the salvation story.  Christmas shares with us the story of how God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to be born and to live our humanity (perfectly, of course).  Christmas ends with the onset of Easter, the season that shares the story of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead.  The Time of the Church shares the tale of the Holy Spirit and His work among us in and through Word and Sacrament.  The Church employs various liturgical tools to help in the telling of this story of God and His love for us.

THE TIME OF CHRISTMAS --- Advent

This season, the first of the liturgical year, begins with Advent, a Latin term that means "coming into."  Jesus, the hope of humanity, is coming into the world to save us from the power of sin and death.  During this part of the Church year, we prepare to receive our future Savior.  That preparation includes repentance for our sins, the sins that make the birth of Christ necessary.

Liturgical colors during Advent:  violet

The color of repentance and the color of royalty for our coming King.

Liturgical music during Advent:  omit the "Gloria in Excelsis"

Normally, during our worship service, we sing these words:

Glory be to God on high;  and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee,
   we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly king, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
   that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only are holy;  thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,
   art most high in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Because this is the song that Scripture tells us the angels sang at Jesus' birth and because we are waiting for Christ to be born, we withhold this song of praise until Christmas morning.

Special observances or tools during Advent:  the Advent wreath

Advent wreaths have four candles, one for each week in the season leading up to Christmas.  Each Sunday, a candle is lighted, one being added each week, increasing the anticipation of the arrival of our King.  We also look forward to the day when Christ will come again.

Special events during Advent:  midweek worship services

A Liturgical Resource: Introduction

One of my favorite gifts this past Christmas was a book from Concordia Publishing House titled Ordering Our Days in His Peace:  An Introduction to the Christian Church Year by H. R. Curtis.  The dedication just inside just inside the front cover reads:

For the children God has given (and, in accordance with His wishes, will give) to my wife and me, that they may always cherish being a part of God's story.

Now I seriously doubt that, at age 51, my husband and I will be adding to our immediate family, but I do volunteer with a homeschool group, the children from which I sometimes think of as "my kids."  It was for them, and for my own enlightenment, that I put the aforementioned book on my wish list at all.  Being Lutheran, and living (as I do) with a church musician, I have experienced the ordering of my days, as Mr. Curtis puts it, since I was a small child.  Sadly, most of the "Bible church" and Reformed Christians I know don't seem to understand a lot about the liturgical calendar or about the enriched perspective it can bring to life in a hectic culture.  Generally speaking, these folks tend to associate the tradition of following the liturgical calendar with the Catholic Church and, therefore, eschew any involvement with it, oftentimes counting it as non-Biblical or idolatrous.  True on the first count, but many teaching tools that are used in the Church, such as a catechism, are extra-Biblical.  As for idolatrous...well, for me, that is a matter of individual faith and focus.  For one Christian, following the liturgical calendar may become a stumbling block;  for another, it may provide an ordering principle that will help deepen relationships with God and other believers.

So, for those who are interested, I will be posting my notes from Ordering Our Days in His Peace.  Watch for them over the next few days.

Why Strip the Altar?

A repost from Gooseberry Lane, 2006.  Hopefully, this will be of help to those who may be either attending or planning Holy Week worship services.
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Last night, my daughter and I attended our first Maundy Thursday service at our new church. That seems rather odd as we have been worshiping there for almost a year but, for some reason, Maundy Thursday 2006 was spent elsewhere. Anyway, what I found interesting was this explanation of “stripping the altar” that was included in the service bulletin and read aloud by the pastor at the end of worship. I have been a Lutheran all my life and, frankly, cannot recall ever hearing an explanation of why this activity is included in the Maundy Thursday service. I very much appreciated this information and have decided to share it with you here.

Stripping of the altar (removing all ornaments, linens, and paraments) is an ancient custom of the Church done on Maundy Thursday. It is symbolic of the humiliation of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers.

After the Last Supper, less that 24 hours remained in the earthly life of our Lord. Events moved rapidly: prayer in Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas, arrest, mock trial, painful beating, the trudge to Golgotha and execution.

As His life was stripped from Him, so we strip our altar of the signs of life to symbolize His purposeful, redemptive suffering and death for us. Plants are new life springing forth. In the passion and suffering of Christ, human life ebbs from Him. In recognition of this we remove the palms from our altar.

PALMS ARE REMOVED.

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” The events of Golgotha snuffed out the human life of Jesus, the Light of the world. As even creation was dark when He suffered, so we extinguish our candles and remove them.

CANDLES ARE EXTINGUISHED AND REMOVED.

Our offerings represent one way of serving God and others. They reflect Gods greatest offering to the world and to us in sending His Son, Jesus, in human form. As the offered body of Jesus was removed from sight in burial, so we remove our offerings.

OFFERINGS ARE REMOVED.

The missal stand holds our worship books that guide our worship life together as we sing praises to God. As Jesus suffers, joyous songs are not heard. As these sounds of joy are removed from our lips, we remove the missal stand.

MISSAL STAND AND SERVICE BOOK ARE REMOVED.

Jesus’ offered Body and His shed Blood have been give to us in, with, and under the form of bread and wine in this Holy Mystery. As He was removed from us in the grave, so we remove the elements and vessels of this Sacrament.

COMMUNION VESSELS ARE REMOVED.

Our altar is in the form of a table. It is here where our Lord Jesus serves us as both host and meal at His banquet feast. The coverings and paraments are made of fine linen; material appropriate for feasting with our King. As our King’s body was stripped in crucifixion, so our altar is stripped of its coverings.

ALTAR PARAMENTS ARE REMOVED.

The Paschal Candle is carried from the baptismal font to the rear of the sanctuary where it is extinguished. There is no benediction or postlude at the end of this service, which indicates that the service has not concluded. [Our worship continues on Good Friday.]

The Epiphany Story: Read the Bible

On this day, according to the liturgical calendar, the Christian Church commemorates the visit of the wise men to the Christ Child.  Some, like Lutherans, call the day Epiphany;  others, like the Orthodox Church, celebrate Christmas.  Whichever label you use, the fact is that the account of this call on Jesus' household by the magi is recorded only once in Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea;  for this is what has been written by the prophet:

'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child;  and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."  After hearing the king, they went their way;  and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.  Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
--- Matthew 2:1-12 (NASB)

Looking closely at these words, we learn the following about the magi and their trip:

- they arrive after the birth of Christ in Bethlehem;
- they arrive during the reign of King Herod;
- they hail from the East;
- they go to Jerusalem;
- the purpose of their journey is to find and worship the Child who was born King of the Jews;
- they find their way to Jerusalem by following a star;
- their mission (to find the Christ Child) troubles Herod and all Jerusalem;
- Herod consults the chief priests and scribes about the Messiah's prophesied birthplace;
- Herod secretly consults with the magi to determine the time frame for the Messiah's birth;
- Herod dispatches the magi to search for the Christ Child;
- Herod asks the magi to report back to him per the location of the Christ Child;
- the magi continue on their way, following the star until they find Jesus and His family;
- Jesus and His mother, Mary, are residing in a house;
- upon locating the Christ Child, the magi worship Him and present Him with gifts;
- the magi present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh;
- the magi are warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, prompting their departure home.

Now let's compare this information with what I gleaned from an article in the Latino Voices section of the Huffington Post, an article that came to my attention yesterday through the Facebook posting of a friend.  Quoting from the aforementioned source:

According to the Gospel of Matthew, the men found the divine child by following the North Star across the desert for twelve days to Bethlehem.  Melchoir, Caspar, and Balthazar --- representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa respectively --- traveled by horse, camel, and elephant in order to present baby Jesus with three symbolic gifts.

It should be clear from reading the above passage of Scripture that errors were made in the HuffPo article:

- the North Star is nowhere mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew;
- the length of the journey taken by the magi is not mentioned in the Gospel reading;
- crossing the desert, especially in twelve days, goes unmentioned;
- the number of wise men is not given;
- the ethnicity or nationality of the wise men is not mentioned;
- Scripture is silent on the types of animals that were used to travel to Jerusalem an Bethlehem.

The only remotely correct information in the above-quoted paragraph was the reference to the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh being symbolic.  This is true.

GOLD.  Commonly understood to be a gift fit for a king.  It is a symbol of kingship on earth.  Gold can
also symbolize virtue.

FRANKINCENSE.  A perfume spice often considered symbolic of divinity or deity.  Frankincense can also represent incense that is burned as an offering to God, or prayer.

MYRRH.  Used as anointing or embalming oil, myrrh is symbolic of mortality and death.  It can also represent suffering and sacrifice.

Let's face it, much of what we actually know about the visit of the wise men is tradition, narratives that have been around so long the average layperson rarely remembers where the tales came from or if they are factually true.  They make great teaching tools for children and make for beautiful holiday rituals.  These "stories," if you will, perform these functions so well because they stick to what I like to call the "plausibly miraculous."  They aren't so far-fetched as to be comical, yet they clearly communicate the miracle of God in sending His Son to live among us and in leading the wise men to greet our Lord and Savior.  They also don't use modern-day references, like the North Star, or patently false information, like elephants as a mode of transportation, and attribute these things to an easily verifiable Gospel story.

2013 Epiphany lesson:  if you plan to tell the story of the magi to your children, keep it simple.  Don't embellish.  Stick with the real Gospel of Matthew and allow their imaginations to fill in the blanks.  There will be plenty of time, as they grow to adulthood, to discuss the inconsistencies with tradition.  For now, just enjoy reading the Bible with your kids.

Annunciation Day

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the liturgical calendar, today is Annunciation Day, the day the Church remembers the announcement of the birth of Christ to His mother, Mary, by the angel Gabriel.  Given that we celebrate Christmas, the commemoration of the birth of the Son of God, in December, it makes sense that we would remember His conception, if you will, nine months earlier.  So why didn't this remembrance occur on March 25th?  Because Lent was still being observed.  When that happens, the Church withholds the observation of Annunciation Day until eight days after Easter, known as the Octave of Easter.  If you are a bit confused by that, don't feel bad.  It threw me for a loop, too, the first time I ever heard of it.

The Scripture readings for today are as listed.  They all point to Christ in some way, either by presenting the prophecy of His birth, reminding us of His role as our atoning sacrifice (the reason for which He was born), or telling us the story of the actual annunciation.

Isaiah 7:10-14:  This small section of Isaiah contains the verse that is familiar to most of us who have grown up in the Church, or to those who are acquainted with "Messiah," an oratorio by George Frideric Handel.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. --- Isaiah 7:14

Psalm 45:7-17:  This is a royal psalm presenting Christ as our King.

Hebrews 10:4-10:  This portion of the book of Hebrews presents Christ as the final, effective sacrifice for sin.

...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. --- Hebrews 10:10

Luke 1:26-38:  This is the only account of the annunciation found in Scripture.  The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Mary became pregnant while betrothed to Joseph but never mentions the encounter with the angel Gabriel.  The Gospel of Mark begins with the ministry of Christ, as does the Gospel of John.

So, does this mean that Christmas begins now?  No, not really.  According to the liturgical calendar, that occurs after Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas.  However, Annunciation Day is a small reminder that the Christ who just died for us on Good Friday and who was raised for us on Easter, had to be born in the flesh to accomplish our salvation.  The liturgical calendar now turns back toward the beginning.  Once Eastertide has run its course, and Pentecost has passed, we will enter Ordinary Time, that portion of the Church year dedicated to an examination of the Church as the body of Christ, as believers who are united in Him, and the application (and practice) of Christ's teachings in our lives.

May God bless you today and always.

Resources for Annunciation Day:
Fish Eaters
Catholic Encyclopedia